


Secret of the Shadows

by Hopeless_Ravenclaw



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Adventure, Alana Jared and Connor are friends, Angst, Drama, Fantasy, I suck at tags, M/M, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-04 13:32:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18605539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hopeless_Ravenclaw/pseuds/Hopeless_Ravenclaw
Summary: Strange visions... hideous monsters...startling revelations... Connor Murphy never expected a summer like this, and its only getting started! After one of his infamous pranks backfires, Connor unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient book and key. Little does he know the mysterious book is a gateway to a magical land held captive by the Shadow. Will Connor, with the help of some new and old friends, be able to fulfill the prophecy he’d been destined to uphold??





	1. The Worst Last Day

**Author's Note:**

> I have no clue if this is gonna be any good or not but it’s here anyway, lol.

It was the last day of school and I was running for my life. My friends and I had just pulled off one of the best pranks ever. It’s not like we were  _ trying  _ to get in trouble, or anything, it’s just that we were determined to get even with the school bully before summer break. After all, Cranton had gone out of his way more than once to make my life miserable this year so it wasn’t as if he didn’t deserve it. Besides, the last day of school was the perfect time for payback.

      Jared and I had planned the whole thing out for weeks in advance. We called it  _ Project: Fireball,  _ an elaborate scheme that required hijacking a bag of brownies from my sister’s bake sale and modifying them with a bottle of  _ Stu’s Unreasonably Wicked Hot Sauce.  _ All we needed was a decoy. Kitty Swanson, the most popular girl in the whole school, had been Cranston’s crush for the entire year and was the perfect candidate. The objective was simple enough: inject the brownies with hot sauce and leave them in a bag on Cranton’s “reserved” cafeteria table, along with a note from Kitty in the girliest handwriting we could manage. 

       Jared and I watched with anticipation, recording every moment of our last attempt to humiliate Cranton on my video camera. If everything went as planned we would be posting the footage on our Website for the whole world to see. It would be the thirteenth and final installment of our online video series. Out subscriber list had grown considerably over the school year as we devised and recorded some of the greatest pranks ever achieved by a student at Destiney Hills High School. 

      Alana, the third member of our enterprise, sat to my left, completely unaware of the events that were about to unfold. It was better that she didn’t know. She was terrified of Cranton and had labeled him as “untouchable” as far as pranks go, and for good reason. Cranton was the self-proclaimed leader of the So-called Cobras, a gang of high school thugs who loved picking on weaker classmates. Nope, it didn’t take a genius to know that Cranton was trouble, but the way we figured, what Alana didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. Adjusting the focus, I held back a smile as Cranton eagerly read the forged note we had planted:

 

_ Cranton, _

_ I’ll miss you this summer.  _

_ Kitty :)  _

 

       He looked inside the bag and turned to raise an eyebrow at Kitty, seated at a nearby table. Feeling his uncomfortable gaze over her shoulder she turned to see who it was. Her face contorted in disgust as she quickly looked away. 

       “Oh man, did you get that one tape?” Jared half-whispered trying to keep from laughing. 

       “Yeah, yeah… I got it. That was priceless.” I could no longer contain the broad smile that now crept across my face as I anticipated Canton’s next move. Keeping my eye trained on the small LCD screen, I adjusted the zoom so that Canton’s face nearly filled the screen. 

       “What’s going on?” Alana asked, suddenly aware of our preoccupation. “What are you guys…?”

       “Shh, just watch?” Jared interrupted in a hushed tone, gesturing towards Canton’s table. 

       At last, the moment had arrived.

       Biting into the tainted brownies, Canton’s face lit up with a goofy smile. At first he appeared unfazed and even began preparing for a second bite. Then, without warning his confidence faded, his eyebrows lowered and his chewing slowed. There was a brief pause for a moment as the effects of the hot sauce began to kick in. Suddenly, Canton half-spat, half-puked the searing sweets all over the table and guzzled down the remainder of his side pop in an attempt to ease the pain, spilling some of it down his face and neck in the process. The students around him erupted in a mixture of confused laughter and disgust.

       Canton’s eyes furious searched the room and met with mine through the viewfinder. His expression hardened and in that moment I realized that somehow he knew. A sudden burst of adrenaline burst through my veins, and I could tell the same effect had happened to both Alana and Jared as well. 

       The two grabbed my hands before I could give my input, and with that we rushed out of the room, easily dodging students as we rushed to out. Now, there weren’t many hiding places on the school property and that meant the two dragging me along had to get… well… creative. Stumbling around the corner of the gym, Jared spotted a dumpster and we were quickly pulled in, letting the lid shut tightly behind us. Within moment we heard the footsteps of our angry victim and his Cobra crew as they clambered around, hollering and cussing as they ran. All we had left to do was wait in silence until the school bell announced the end of lunch. By then, it would be to late for the Cobra gang to do anything before school let out for the summer.

       “That was close.” I heard Alana panting nervously to the left of me. 

       “Did you see the look on his face when he realized that those brownies were filled with hot sauce?” I couldn’t help but chuckle, nudging Jared arm, a little to hard. 

       Jared was the first to respond. “I have to admit, Murphy, that was certainly one of your more brilliant plans and he totally deserved it.”

       Jared Kleinman was one of the more easy targets for Canton all year. His look screamed “geek”, What with his casual outfits, thick glasses, and pale skin. His looks were only half the problem as Jared had one small problem, he couldn’t freaking keep his mouth shut, which often pissed some people off if they couldn’t, “take a joke,” as the kid liked to say. 

       Alana was a different story. I could tell she wasn’t pleased in the slightest. 

       “You guys are both nuts! You could have gotten us killed.” Yup, she was furious. “Do me a favor next time you decide to prank an untouchable, leave me out.”

       She had a point. She hadn’t asked to be included in our little prank; she was simply guilty by association. Alana was nearly a year younger than me and at five-foot-three inches was considerably short for her age too, especially when standing next to me. If you ever suggested an idea that didn’t fit with her carefully constructed comfort zone, you could be sure she’d let you know about it and wouldn’t change her mind. She was also what you might call a “mathlete” (a nice way of saying math geek(, which was okay with me because it was one of the only classes in school I was actually good at, thank to her tutoring. 

       Five minutes later we heard the school bell ring. Lunch was over and we were going to be late to class if we didn't hurry. Pushing up on the dumpster lid we discovered we were in a heap of trouble. The lid wouldn’t budge-it was latched shut. We were stuck. 

       I cursed lowly.

       “You gotta be kidding me.” Alana wasn’t getting any happier. “First you get me in trouble with Canton, and now I’m locked in a dumpster. Great! Way to go, Connor.” Huffing loudly, she glared. “I hope your little prank was worth it.” 

       I tried to keep calm; after all, I was pretty much the unofficial leader of the group of misfits. “We’re going to get out of here, don’t worry. Let’s just make as much noise as we possibly can and someone is bound to hear us.”

       For the next several minutes we pounded in the dumpster and screamed as loud as we could, but it was no use. Our ears were ringing from the racket, but we had not managed to catch anyone’s attention. The situation was hopeless. 

       “Oh man.” Jared grumbled, pushing up his glasses. “I have to freaking pee. How much longer to you think we’ll be in here, Murphy?”

       “If no one finds us we could easily be locked in here for days,” Alana blurted out, and before either of us could get a word on edge wise she continued. “Day! I can’t be stuck in here for that long. I’ve got a chess match tomorrow; I’m challenging the Grand Master. It’s a big deal!”

       Alana was starting to freak out. Her eyes darting between Jared and me, searching for a little sympathy and finding none. A stupid chess match was the least of our worries at this point.

       I had long since given up trying to understand Alana’s fascination with the game. I mean, the girl was obsessed with it. She even carried around a chess piece in her pocket that she called her “lucky knight.” It was the piece she’d used to win her first competition. Chess, to me, was boring. She had complained every year that our school district didn’t have its own Chess club so her parents drive her to the neighboring school district to compete. He had encouraged her to start her own club but it was easier said than done in this place. 

       Suddenly, it dawned on me. “Wait, a minute. Do either of you guys have your phones?” I had been grounded from mine for the last week for… well… for reasons by my parents that I truly didn’t understand. Apparently the Internet was a just a poison to my already bad mental health… whatever. 

       Alana pauses in her ranting to give us another stern stare. “I do, but it’s in my backpack. Back in the cafeteria!” 

       Jared, however, ignoring Alana’s outburst, perked up a bit. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” He pulled out his phone and started to type a message to another classmate. He was just about to send the message when the phone chirped and the screen went Black, pulling a low curse from both his and my mouth. What had we done to deserve this? 

       The dumpster was considerably dark. Our only light was coming from a few small holes near the top of the black wall, and what little glow remained from the glow-in-the-dark designs on Jared’s shirt. (The guy has no fashion sense in my opinion.) we were dirty, stinky? And incredibly late for class. Things couldn’t have gotten worse. Our teacher. Mrs. White, would probably write us up for detention and our parents would find out about the whole thing. 

       Then, a miracle. 

       “Hang on, I think I hear someone coming,” I said. Sure enough we could hear the crackling of footsteps on gravel not far from where we hid. Banging on the sides of the dumpster we screamed frantically for help. At this point we didn’t care if it was Canton who found us, getting into a good fist fight would be far better than our current situation. 

_ Click. Ka-chunk. Creeeeek.  _

__ My heart thumped faster as the lid began to open. The figure if our rescuer was temporarily silhouetted by the sudden burst of painful daylight.

       “What have we here?” The man’s voice was deep, raspy, and authoritative, the type of guy you didn’t say  _ no  _ to. Forcing my aching, ready eyes open I squinted to catch a glimpse of the stranger who had just saved us from the city dump. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I met the silvery gaze of one of the toughest looking old guys I had ever seen. His face was tan, weathered and rough, his bright-white hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a shirt scraggly beard and the stern look of a gunslinger who was sizing up his opponent. He was dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit and white T-shirt that barely covered his escaping chest hair.  _ He must be the janitor on duty _ , I thought to myself.

       “So now, what are you boys up to?” He inquired, while holding up the dumpster lid with one hand. “Thought you could skip class now, did ya?”

       “No sir… we got stuck in here playing hide-n-seek.” I lied, heavy sarcasm lacing my words. He narrowed his eyes and watched us intently as we clambered out of the dumpster and breathed in the fresh air.

       The janitor raised a brow, “So it wouldn’t have anything to do with your little lunch room fiasco, would it?”

       Busted.

       “How did you…?” I started to ask.

       “Oh don’t be so modest, Connor. It’s all over school. They’re calling you… What was it again? Ah yes! Connor the PrankMaster.” For a moment I felt a sense of pride. I was famous, maybe even a bit cool. Then he added, “I’m sure the principal will be equally impressed.”

       The good feeling was gone. 

       “Oh.” I said lamely.

       “Hey, Con, how come you’re getting all the credit?” Jared huffed, clearly feeling left out. “It was my idea too, you know!”

       Alana was the last to get out, almost rolling over the edge of the dumpster before I caught her hand and steadied her as she hopped onto the ground. “Just for the record, I had nothing to do with it. These guys planned everything and dragged me into it. 

       “You’re not really going to tell the principal, are you?” Jared asked, turning back to the man, who almost smiled in returned, enjoying our predicament very much. 

       “You know, since it’s the last day of school, I might be able to help you out, but I think it’s only fair that you do a small favor for me.”

       “What exactly did you have in mind?” I winced, half expecting the three of us to be scrubbing the boys’ bathroom after school. 

       “Well for starters, the boys’ bathroom is a mess and needs to be thoroughly cleaned before they close school for the summer. So, you three can help…” he paused for effect, a hint of a smile crossing his lips, “by running an errand for me this afternoon.”

_ Whew!  _

__ Alana accepted the deal before my better judgement raised a question. “Anything, anything! Just don’t tell Principal Pickler!”

       The man grinned at the desperation in her voice. 

       “Good. I won’t tell a soul. Listen closely. An important item is on hold at a bookstore downtown,” the man said as he scribbled in the back of a business card. “Give the owner this card; he’ll be expecting you.”

       I took the card and examined it quickly. The front was bright white and completely black except for a curious glossy logo that could only be seen when angled in the light just right. The logo was composed of a symbol that looked something like a  _ W  _ in the center of the card, surrounded by a circle. Turning the card over I found the address marked out in large sloppy penmanship. 

 

**_1421 LATHROP AVE_ **

 

       “If you hurry, you should be able to pick it up and be back here a half-hour before school is out. Meet me outside the restrooms. Got it?”

       We nodded in agreement.

       It was an odd request to say the least, but with newfound freedom he headed out to retrieved this “item of importance” for our custodial savior. Little did I know this seemingly innocent errand would forever change the course of my life. 

       We made our way to the address written in the back of the card. The small, used-book store was only a few blocks from the school but I had never noticed it before. That was no surprise as I rarely ever read books. A sign in the window advertised  _ Book Repair Services,  _ though I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to repair a book. Heaving open the heavy wooden door we were greeted by several mangy cats and the smell of old books and garlic.

       “Peww!” Jared winced. “It smells worse than the dumpster in here.”

       Five wooden shelves ran the length of the floor, slightly askew from the aging floorboards that gave the room a crooked feeling. The aisles between the She leaves were narrow, uncluttered and drew our eyes to the far back of the bookshop, where an oversized oak counter sat unoccupied. The front of the counter was scattered with flyers advertising local events that had long since passed, and an antique cash register that only a select few would still have been able to operate. A silver bell was conveniently placed near the edge of the counter with a handwritten note taped to it that read.  _ Ring for Service. _

_        Ding. Ding. Ding.  _ We rang the bell.

       “I’ll be right with you,” a small voice called out from behind the counter. An odd-looking man with short legs, wispy hair and magnified spectacles on an oversized nose shuffled out with a pile of books stacked much to high. “Just finishing inventory. These books don’t take care of themselves you know. Whoa!” A black cat ran out from behind the counter with a yowl as the ancient store owner tumbled to the ground, sending the once neatly sorted pile of books flying in every direction. 

       “Oh brother,” he sighed as he lifted himself from the floor. “I suppose i have to start over now, won’t I?” Book by book he restocked the pile as we waited. When the last book was gathered, he turned to a clipboard and began humming and flipping casually through the sheets of paper that were attached to it. A full minute passed before I began to wonder if he had forgotten about us altogether. 

       “Ah hem!” I cleared my throat in an effort to catch his attention. 

       “Yes, how can I help you?” He simply replies without even looking up from his work. 

       “We were told to give you this.” I passed the card across the counter, capturing his full attention at last. “There’s something here we’re supposed to pick up.” 

        “Well now, let's see what we have here.” He turned the card over in his hands and then looked back at us, squinting down over the counter through his magnified spectacles as if examining a big. “This was all you were given?” the man asked, though I wasn’t entirely sure it was really a question. 

       “Yes,” I replied. “The man who gave it to us said you would be expecting us.”

       The man’s face brightened. “Indeed I was, and you’re precisely on time too,” he said, pointing to a strange grandfather clock-like contraption that was unlike anything I had ever seen. A series of abstract symbols circles its face and a single arm moved quickly to the second symbol from the top. 

       “Just one moment then—I know  _ exactly _ what you need.” He disappeared again behind the oak desk, leaving us alone for a moment.

       “Don’t look now,” Jared whispered, “but I think we’re being surrounded.” Turning around we found ourselves encircled by nearly twenty cars, eyeing us with uncanny intelligence.

       “This place gives me the creeps…” Alana shuddered, “and I’m…  _ achoo!”  _ She sneezed forcefully, “allergic to cats. Let’s get out of here.” 

       “Let’s just finish our errand and get back before…” the bookkeeper popped back up before I could finish. 

       “Here it is,” he said presenting what appeared to be a large book wrapped tightly in cloth and tied shut with twine. “The invoice shows it’s paid in full, so unless you need anything else…”

       “No,” I answered abruptly, hoisting the heavy book off the counter. “We’ll just see ourselves out.” With that I turned to go. 

       “Wait!” The man hollered. “You’ll need this as well.” His age-won’t hand held a golden key that was meant to accompany the package. “Keep it with you at all times. Leaving it could lead to grave consequences, I’m afraid.” Without thinking, I snatched the key from his grip and buried it in my coat pocket, much to the dismay of the old man. “You’re welcome.” And with that he disappeared into the back room for the last time.

       “Oh… uh, thanks.” I called back awkwardly, now keenly aware of how rude I’d been.

       Clutching the book underneath my arm I tiptoed around the cats and out the front door with Alana and Jared. Now all he had to do was get the book to the janitor before school was out and we would be home free for the summer. 

       Back at school he headed straight for the bathrooms where we would met the janitor, but there was no sign of him. Judging from the smell of things the rooms hadn’t been cleaned either. 

       Leaving the bathroom, we set out in search of the janitor and were just about to give up when we round the corner and plowed straight into Principal Pickler. Teetering on her high heels, the startled principal toppled to the ground almost the snowfall of office paper. 

       “What are you three doing out of class?” She fumed.

       “We were running an errand across town to…” I started to answer but didn’t get far. 

       “Stop right there!” Pickler cut me off, raising her hand sternly. “What did you just say? Leaving school premises during school hours is strictly prohibited for students!l she scolded as she gathered her papers together. “Who sent you?”

       I tried to explain. “The janitor sent us to get this; he said it was important!” I handed her the package m, which she unwrapped to reveal an antique book with a latch and keyhole. It must have been unlocked because it opened easily and she flipped through the pages quickly. From where I stood I could tell that every page in the book was blank, an empty journal—there was nothing of importance in it at all.

       Pickler was getting annoyed. “Hogwash! Our janitor is gone today… he phoned in sick last night. Besides, even if he were here, he would most certainly not be authorized to give kids permission to wander off school property. You’re going to have to come with me.”

       Seated quietly outside Pickler’s office we waited for the verdict while she discussed the situation with our teacher.

       “I hope you’re proud of yourself, Connor,” griped Alana. “Do you even realize that I had a perfect attendance record until today? Now I might as well have a big black  _ Tardy  _ written on my forehead for the rest of my life!”

       “Do they really keep track of stuff like that?” Jared wondered aloud, time bored as he simply egged Alana on.

       “Oh yeah,” Alana insisted, “the office records everything. I doubt I’ll even make it too a good collage. I’ll probably end up living in a van.” 

       I tried to calm her down. “Hey, it’s not my fault. Besides, once they realize we’re telling the truth your record will be cleared, trust me.”

       Alana disagreed, “you expect them to believe us? They probably think we’re lying about all of this. As far as they’re concerned we’re just ninth-grade losers who tried to skip class on the last day and got busted.” 

       She was right, of course they wouldn’t believe us. It didn’t help that the janitor had mysteriously disappeared, our description of him didn’t match any other member of staff, and what was worse, we didn’t even know his name. We had nothing. 

       Ms. White and Ms. Pickler came out of the office. “As unlikely as your story is, we have to take it seriously. Frankly, we’re concerned about a person posing as a school custodian, wandering our facilities. Did anyone else see this man?”

       My mind was racing. “The invoice!” I shouted, leaping form my own chair and surprising myself in the process. “The bookstore owner said the package was paid in full. If we go back and explain the situation maybe we could look at the invoice and find the janitor’s name.” At the very least I figure the owner could vouch for us being there this afternoon, to prove we hadn’t lied about where we went. 

       My enthusiasm must have worked because somehow we managed to convince Ms. Pickler to follow us to the bookstore. That's when things took a very weird turn. The shop was gone. Disappeared. Vanished into thin air. It was as if someone had taken the stores in either side of it and pinched them together over the top of where the bookstore once was.

       No bookshop. No bookkeeper. No invoice.

       “No way,” Alana was in shock. “We were just here! I swear! The bookstore was right between the TV repair shop and… and the hardware store. I promise.”

       Ms. Pickler came unglued. “Oh I get it. This is another one of your pranks, isn’t it, Connor?”

       “No ma’am, I…” the question was apparently rhetorical as she showed no intention of listening to my plea of innocence. 

       “I can’t believe is trust you lot. This is the lamest excuse I have ever heard.” I tried to but in, but she was just getting warmed up. “Well, you’ve clearly wasted my time and now I’m going to waste yours. Congratulations. You’ve just earned yourselves detention! When we get back, I’m calling your parents and you’re going to spend the rest of your afternoon cleaning the restrooms!”

       The summer was off to a terrible start.

 


	2. The Book is Opened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Going strong!

Grounded! A weekend is a long time to be alone with your thoughts, especially when you don’t deserve to be grounded in the first place. No one believed me and I really couldn’t blame them. To be honest, I was beginning to doubt it myself. Sitting alone in my room I replayed the events of the day that had led to my unfortunate punishment. 

_ If only we hadn’t gone on the stupid errand!  _ I stewed.  _ I’d be going out with my friends this weekend instead of being cooped up here.  _

       The bedroom door shot open; it was my little sister Zoe. “Connor,” she growled from the doorway, “Mom said to clean your room and out this away while you’re at it.” She dropped my backpack on the floor with an unexpectedly loud  _ THUD!  _ “What do you carry in that thing anyway…. bricks?” She shot a disgusted look my way and waltzed down the hall to her room. 

       Walking over yo my bag, I was amazed to find the ancient book squeezed tightly inside. “How did that get there?” I wondered aloud. I didn’t remember Jared or Alana sneaking it back from Pickler after she had confiscated it. Maybe she had given it to Mom when they had their little meeting after school. 

       I pulled the book out of the bag. It was heavier than I remembered. “What on earth is so important about an empty book anyway?” I wondered, placing the book on my desk. For the first time I examined it up close. The book was bound in soft brown leather and engraved with intricate markings etched in gold. The corners of the book were rounded and well-worn, bearing the evidence of age. Centered on the top third of the cover was a strange symbol that looked identical to the glossy logo on the card the janitor had given me. Although now seeing it in raised-gold, I could tell it was not a  _ W,  _ as I had thought before, but more like three intersecting  _ V’s  _ surrounded by a circle. 

      I tried to open the book but was disappointed to find that the latch wouldn’t release. “Must have locked when Pickler closed it.” I mumbled to myself. 

       Flipping the book over on my desk I was fascinated to find the intricate markings continued on the back as well. On the back was a series of consecutively nested circles. A gold medallion embossed with the image of a tree was the centerpiece of the design. Embedded in the trunk of the tree was a red gemstone that commanded my attention. As I gazed at the peculiar stone an amazing thing began to happen around the outermost ring. A dozen symbols began to etch themselves into the cover of the book, perfectly positioned around the medallion like the numbers of a clock. 

_ How in the world?  _ I thought. 

       With nervous hands I ran my fingertips over the embossed grooves of the symbols, proving they were indeed real as they looked. It wasn’t clear what they were supposed to represent, a foreign language or some kind of code perhaps. 

       Only a single mark appeared in the inner circle, a simple Arrow pointing outward from the medallion a quarter of the way between the first and second symbols. Before I had time to inspect them further the characters sank back into the cover, fading from sight. Clearly, this was no ordinary book. 

       “Magic?” I whispered in wonder. 

       Growing up, I had always wanted to be a magician. For my tenth birthday Dad had even bought me a  _ Magic for Beginner’s  _ kit with  _ 32 tricks to stun and amaze your friends.  _ I learned to master most of them, but they were cheap gimmicks in comparison with what I was now seeing. No, this was something much more-this was  _ real  _ magic. 

       Now nothing matter to me more than finding out what was inside the mysterious, locked book. Of there as magic to be learned I wanted to know it. I suddenly remembered the key the book keeper had given to me-still tucked away safely on my jacket pocket. Kicking through the huge pile of clothes on my floor, I tried to recall where I had placed it. Eventually, I unearthed the lost jacket and retrieved the key. It was cold and also bore the inscription of three interlocking  _ V’s  _ on its handle, an obvious connection to the mysterious symbol on the front of the book. 

       Placing the key in the latch, I felt a sharp tug as it pulled itself into place.  _ Twing.  _ I release my hold. A harmonic hum began to reverberate throughout the room and seemed to be originating from the key. Gathering my courage I took hold of it once more. This time the shaft and handle felt warm to the touch as I slowly turned the key.  _ Click.  _

       The marking on the cover instantly glowed to life, as golden light streamed through the channels and engravings of the book. The latch fell open on its own and I stepped back in surprise. 

       With trembling hand I stood, my eyes transfixed on the amazing book. Then a most dreadful, yet oddly familiar voice whispered over my shoulder,  _ “Do not open it!”  _ I turned around; there was no one there.  _ “Destroy the book,”  _ came the voice yet again from behind my back. 

       “Who said that!” I demanded. There was no answer. The drone from the key grew steadily louder, pulsating through my chest and calming my fears. The tone was like that of a distant choir and caused me to turn once more to look at the book. 

_ “Stay away,”  _ the voice whispered again. This time I recognized the voice as my own, except colder and devised as if there were more than one of me speaking at a time. I shuddered. I didn’t particularly like being told what to do, even if it was by my own voice. 

       “I can’t destroy it,” I reasoned out loud. “This book could be valuable, maybe even worth millions. Besides, I haven’t even looked inside yet.” I took a step towards my desk, then another. The closer I got, the more I longed to know what was hidden inside the book. Finally, I was close enough to touch it. Taking hold of the cover I lifted it open. 

       An explosion of light burst from the pages and lit up the room as if someone had just drawn open the curtains. I shaded my face from the brilliant pages and waited for my eyes to adjust. When I could see once more I discovered words slowly appearing on the pages, as if they had been written with invisible ink and were reappearing for the first time. 

_ So it wasn’t an empty book after all,  _ I thought. I read the text. It began:

 

**_Born into darkness,_ **

**_deceived by light,_ **

**_a door had been opened,_ **

**_through which you may die._ **

**_The world you now know_ **

**_will soon be no more._ **

**_Your fading is certain;_ **

**_your death will be sure._ **

 

       The riddle was strange, to say the least, but there was something about it that seemed as if it was written directly to me.

 

**_Your fading is certain;_ **

**_your death will be sure._ **

 

       The final line made me uneasy. Invisible cold eyes seemed to be staring over my shoulder. I had the growing feeling that I was being watched and turned around the ensure the room was empty. Satisfied that I was still alone, I turned to the next page and began to read a fascinating story about a legendary Author and his mysterious book. 

 

**_In the time before times, the Author put his pen_ **

**_upon the pages of a book. The ancient words he_ **

**_wrote outside of time became the manuscript of a_ **

**_story unimaginably complex and complete. This story_ **

**_was the Author’s greatest achievement and he was_ **

**_pleased. The. As the last stroke of the last word on_ **

**_the last page was written, something extraordinary_ **

**_happened. The words the Author has so beautifully_ **

**_crafted came to life in a wonderful way, made_ **

**_possible only by the greatest of powers, used in the_ **

**_most perfect of ways. It was the first story._ **

**_In the center of the world was a beautiful garden_ **

**_where there stood a special tree that was older_ **

**_than the story itself. How it came to grow in the_ **

**_A garden of this world, no one knew for sure. Unlike_ **

**_other trees, it did not draw its life from the earth;_ **

**_but rather, this tree was the source of life to the_ **

**_world in which it existed._ **

**_A sacred stone was set into the trunk of the tree_ **

**_that contained the Author’s secrets, coveted by all_ **

**_who lived there. The stone also carried with it the_ **

**_power to change the fate of the world forever._ **

**_For this reason the stone was not to be touched_ **

**_except by the Author alone, for the power that_ **

**_flowed from it was far too deadly for any written_ **

**_being to withstand. Only the Author himself could_ **

**_bear to hold such knowledge._ **

  
  


       The story continued, but I paused as something caught my eye. The text appeared to be written by hand, and yet there was something completely unnatural about it. Looking closely I discovered a most amazing thing—I could see through the words. As if looking through tiny windowpanes into another world, I could see beyond the book into another place. Instinctively, I placed my hand on the text to find out how it was accomplished. As my fingers brushed the text, the book took hold of my hand like a magnet, pulling my palm firm,y against the page. A surge of warmth raced up my arm and my body went numb. I was unable to move and watched helplessly as the room began to spin around me. The effect was subtle at first, starting slowly but with ever-increase speed, until at last the bedroom disappeared in a stunning blur of light. 

       Moments later the light faded and the spinning subsided, leaving me in a bewildered state of dizziness. When at last i gathered my senses, I found myself in the midst of a beautiful world. A rich and fragrant garden aroma filled the air, and I took a long deep breath that satisfied me in a way I had never felt before. I was unable to move on my own, floating on the air like a ghostly spectator watching a story unfold all around me. 

       The garden was full of lush plants and trees that were much larger than any I had ever seen. I was heading towards a giant tree standing in the center of of a grove of smaller ones. Golden branches burst from the thick trunk. They were covered with iridescent leaves that sparkles like gems. Veins of light, much like those of the book, flowed downward from the tree’s limbs into the ground, bringing energy and life to the world around them. But what commanded my attention most of all was a large scarlet stone embedded in the base of the tree, the stone seemed to be alive with a glowing red energy that swirled like fluid. I wanted desperately to touch it. 

       No sooner he the thought crossed my mind, than a brilliant light being stepped out from behind the tree. The figure was beautiful beyond description, draped on a white robe and bathed in light, though its face remained hidden beneath a cloaked hood. The radiant being raised a hand towards means beckoned me to come touch the stone. Before I could respond, a sharp chill shot through my chest as a second figure, robed in black, emerged from behind me, passing through my body as if I was only a ghost. The very idea of having been passed through caused my stomach to turn. I felt as if someone had robbed me of my personal space and walked away with it. Trying to escape the feeling, I turned my attention back to the tree. 

       From what I could tell, the figure that had just emerged was only a boy, not much older than me. Obeyed the spirit’s command with a slow steady pace, confidently approaching the one who had summoned him. The boy paused for a moment as he arrived at the base of the tree. The brilliant being pointed to the stone once more, reassuring the boy of his calling. Then with purposeful resolve the boy stepped forward and pried the gemstone from its place. 

       Immediately the radiance of the shining figure dimmed, revealing a pair of villainous eyes that had once been concealed by its deceptive light. With a menacing laugh, The now darkened being vanished altogether—its purpose fulfilled.

       The boy thief was left alone, holding the treasured stone in his hands. Warm and inviting at first, something went terribly wrong. A black cloud began to form within the gemstone, swirling around like trapped smoke. The red glow suddenly grew brighter and hotter in the hands of the boy. The thief’s confidence faced and he tried desperately to throw the stone away, but could not—the stone had scorched itself into his hand. Falling to his knees he let out a tortured scream that echoed through the sky. He held the stone at a distance, shielding his face from the light with his free arm, I hoped of protecting himself from the intensity of its power. Unfortunately, his suffering had only just begun. 

       As the stone smoldered in the grip of the thief, I noticed the world around me begin to change. Stone clouds gathered overhead with unnatural speed. I looked to the tree as a single leaf began to melt, dripping off its limb,  resting an inky puddle below. A Black Plague spread through the branches and soon the entire tree was stained with ugliness. Sinking down into the earth, the vile poison saturated the land. Everything began to die and take on wretched from. 

       Unable to turn my gaze from the horrible fate the boy was suffering, I watched as a phantom serpent emerged from the stone. It’s eyes burned hot as fire but it’s scarlet body was ghostly and transparent. In addition to fangs, three horns curled forward from its head, two on either side of its jaw and one on top. The serpent coiled itself around the boy’s arm, searing a trial of red markings as it went. As it wound its way to the boy’s neck, the snake opened its jaws and sank its fangs into his skin, releasing poison into his blood.

        With a loud crack the stone severed in two, and in a sudden flash of light, the serpent was gone. The ground began to rumble and shake. The boy in black, released from his torment, struggled weakly to stand up amidst the tremors. Still clutching the two pieces of stone tightly in his hand, he turned toward me and my heart began to pound with fear. Though his face was still shielded behind one arm, I could see his eyes. They were black, hollow and hauntingly evil. 

       Abandoned by the deceitful spirit, the boy ran quickly away from the once magnificent tree, back down the path and disappeared through my chest. I wanted to turn and chase him but the book had other plans—pulling me upward into the sky as if some invisible force had snatched me by my stomach and carried me away. 

       Faster and faster I went. I couldn’t tell if I was rising or falling, my skull throbbing from the force. My stomach turned, I wanted to heave, but my body remained numb and unresponsive. A stunning display of pink lightning flashed around me as I spin through a tunnel inky darkness. I must have been moving at an incredible rate,  it the wind in my face was surprisingly soft and warm. My limbs flailed helplessly, suspended in the void, and the terrible thought occurred to me that I had no control over anything. 

       As quickly as I had been pulled away, I found myself tossed onto the floor of a new place. Slowly, I stood and pulled myself together.

       “That’s a relief,” I muttered, grateful to find I could once again move on my own. 

       Glancing around, I was surprised to find myself in the halls of my own school.  _ Was I back home?  _ Perhaps, but something was wrong. Everything was dark expect a light shining from behind the door of the principals office, which swung open as I approached. Inside, Pickler sat in her executive chair reading my report card. 

       “Hello, Connor,” she lowered he card to greet me. Her eyes were as black as night, just like the boy’s eyes on the garden.

       I shuddered. Stepping back, I collided with Alana and Jared, clicking my exit. They too had dark eyes.

       “Hey guys, uh, what’s going on?” I asked nervously. 

       They didn’t answer, staring back in silence, arms crossed, daring me to try and get past them.

       “Leaving So Soon?” Pickler mocked. She stood and took me firmly by the ear. “Your detention had just begun!”

       “Ouch!” My war began to throb under the pressure of her nails. “Detention?” I questioned. “What do you…?”

       A loud rumble, like that of an earthquake, began to rattle the room. With a sudden gust of wind the roof of the building was torn completely off, exposing us to a horrific storm that was raging outside. Debris and paper blew everywhere. Picker tightened her grip on my ear and yanked me down to the ground. Outside, the sky was heavy with clouds, spinning out of control from hurricane-force winds.

       Blackness enveloped the room as if something or someone were overshadowing us. Looking up, I saw what I thought I’d never see again-glamming eyes of the phantom snake from the stone. The creature had grown considerably since the last time I’d seen it-a hundred times larger, easily twice the size of the school. The serpent lowered its ghostly red head to our room and opened its jaws to reveal a jagged row of massive fangs and a forked tongue.

       Pickler released me and looked up in sheer terror as the snake lunges downward, gripping her in its mouth and swallowing whole with one terrible bite.

       “Oh!” I groaned in disgust at the sight. As much as I disliked Pickler, this was no way for her to die. I turned to the guys.

       “We need to get out of here… now!” I shouted over the humming wind and storm above.

       “No, Connor!” Alana frowned. “We can’t! This is how it ends!” With that she too was quickly swallowed up by the serpent. Now I was left alone with Jared, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

       “C’mon, Jared!” I yelled, dashing out from under the desk and through the door, expecting him to follow. He didn’t budge as I passed him. Once I was safely in the hallway, I turned to call him one last time. 

       Jared just stared back at me with his hollow eyes and called out, “Goodbye, Connor!” Then he disappeared into the monsters mouth.

       Tears welled up in my eyes. I raced through the school to the front doors and shit down the steps as fast as my legs could carry me. All I could think about now was getting home. As I ran through town I noticed everyone had the same black eyes and hollow gaze. The phantom serpent’s burning gaze followed me as I turned down Main Street and headed for my house. With a hiss of satisfaction, the serpent wove its way across town, gaining on me quickly and swallowing up anyone unfortunately enough to fall in its path. Somehow I managed to make it home, arriving just in time to see my mother and sister fart inside the house.

       “Mom! Mom!” I yelled out, knowing she couldn’t hear me over the noise of the storm raging overhead. I bounded icee to the door which was securely locked. Try as I might I could not get their attention. I was just about to give up when the door cracked open, stopped only by the chain lock. 

       I could hear my sister’s voice, “Connor… Connor… is that you?”

       “Yes, it’s me, quick.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw the monster bearing down on me. “Hurry, Zoe, there’s no time!”

       Zoe shut the door and fumbled with the chain but it was already too late. The dreaded scarlet snake rose up behind me and the last thing I last before it swallowed me up was my sister’s face, her eyes black and hollow, her jaw dropped open in disbelief. 

       “Connor, Connor….” her piercing voice echoed though the darkness.

       I awoke with a start, seated at my desk, my face planted in a puddle of saliva beside the book. 

       “Connor, wake up! What do you think you’re doing?” My sister came into my room. My heart was still racing with fear, my brow sweaty and cold. The book was open but the pages had turned to the end of the book and were once again empty.

       “I don’t know. I… I must have fallen asleep,” I sighed, relieved it had only been a dream. My left ear was not convinced; it was still throbbing as if Principal Pickler had actually pinched it. Sitting up I wiped a string of drool off my face and looked up at my sister. 

        “Nice, Connor,” she sighed but I could hear a slight hint of amusement in her voice. “You were supposed to clean your room an hour ago. Come down for dinner. Mom and dad are gonna be upset.”

       Zoe quickly spun around and headed downstairs. Getting up to follow, I realized the golden key was clutches tightly in my hand. Tucking the key away in my desk drawer, I closed the book and headed downstairs.

       Dinner was always a bit of a fiasco in my family. Mom always tries to make an effort to have dinner together as a family. It might sound like a sweet and good idea, but Mom can’t couldn't cool to save her life. She tried her best but we were often dining on over-cooked meat and under-cooked rolls. Tonight was the rare exception—Mom had ordered pizza. I would have preferred to choke down Mom’s home cooking if it meant not having to listen to a half-hour of my sister’s conversation.

       Zoe was perfect at everything; she was top of her class, leader of the jazz band, and even managed to teach swim lessons twice a week. Having a perfect sister was a drag, it made me look… well… pathetic. For starters, I couldn’t remember the last time I achieved any grade above a C; when it came to music and sport, I was a certified failure, and I had actually never learned to swim. The only thing we shared in common was our last name. 

       “So, how was your last day at school, Zoe?” Mom started the usual small talk.

       “Great. Mr. Schmidt gave me a brochure about a program at the college I could apply for. He thought I might want to take a few advanced classes over the summer,” she explained in a soft and cheery tone reserved for her friends and for Mom.

       Mom was pleased but Dad spoke up first. “That’s a great ide; what classes?”

       “I’m not sure yet; I was considering….” the conversation droned on, my mind drifted back to the book and the vision. If what I saw was only a dream, it was the most vivid dream I ever had. Every detail was still fresh in my mind as if it actually happened. My attention rushed back to the dinner table when I heard my name. 

       “So, Connor, I heard you got in trouble at school again.” My sister was teasing me in her own subtle way. “What did you do this time?”

       “I’d rather not talk about it,” I muttered, stuffing my face with another slice of pizza. I let the grease from the cheese drip down my chin just to gross her out.

       “Eww, you’re such a sweet!” She held her napkin to her mouth as if she were going to vomit. 

       “Connor, stop bugging your sister,” my mother scolded lightly. “Oh, that reminds me, em…” she redirected the conversation. “I’m going to need you to stay home with Connor tonight while your father and I head over to Grandma’s for a bit. She’s not feeling well.”

       “But Mom, I was going to Jessie’s house for movie night, remember?”

       “Oh, that’s right…” she looked down.

       Dad, however, looked over at me as if I were just an inconvenience yet again. “Connor, do you think you can manage to keep out of trouble for one night while we visit Grandma for a few hours?”

       “Yeah, Dad, I’ll be fine…” I grumbled, jabbing one of my fingers into the half eaten pizza slice.

       “Remember, you’re still grounded. No video games, no internet, and definitely no friends over,” He sternly reminded.

       “Okay, okay, I know.”

       “Fine then, clean up the dishes and go upstairs and read a book or something. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

       I cleaned the table and headed back to my room. The book seemed to stare at me from the top of my desk, daring me to open it once more. I tried my best to ignore it.

       I had the house to myself; so, despite my father’s wishes I took the liberty to play a few video games in the Internet. After all, it’s not like I  _ deserved  _ to be grounded.

       An hour later I decided to take a shower and get ready for bed. Maybe a little sleep would do me good. When the hot water ran out I dried off and brushed my teeth. Raising my arm to the mirror I wiped the steam away, expecting to see the usually bushy brown hair and oversized ears that reminded me of my dad. What I saw instead made my stomach lurch and bloom drain from my face in horror. Something was wrong with my reflection.

       My own face glared back at me, but my eyes were only black and my lips were curved in a sickly satisfied smile. I lost my breath; my chest felt heavy, as if a great stone was pressing against it. Something moved from behind me. I turned but no one was there.

       Out of the silence I heard a whisper.  _ Find him…. _

__ Nearly tripling over the bathroom scale, I spun around once more expecting to find the intruder, but the room was empty. I ran out of the bathroom, away from the mirror and my own haunting reflection. I kept telling myself it was all in my head, but I could do nothing to calm my nerves.

       I tried my best to fall asleep but every time I closed my eyes, I saw visions of my darkened face—the emptiness was unforgettable. It consumed my mind, but try as I might, I could not prevent the vision from captivating my every thought.

       Then it hit me. Maybe here was more to the story in the book. If there was, I didn’t want to read it alone. I needed a witness, someone who could confirm what I saw.

       Without thinking, I grabbed the book and tossed it into my bag. Being grounded would have to wait for another day; right now I needed to meet with the gang to prove to myself that I wasn’t going insane.

       I logged on to the computer and fired off an email to them that read:

 

MEET AT 12B

BOOK IS MAGIC

I’LL BE THERE

 

       Against Mom and Dad’s orders, I slipped out of the house, grabbed my skateboard and tore off as fast as I could. I was so focused on getting to the studio I didn’t even notice I was being followed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to like or comment! Whatever you’d like to do!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, feedback is always welcome!


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